FirstLook: Mi Leu, Ma Villo, Provençal (My Eyes, My Town, in Provence)
One day I encountered a photo of a man looking through a car window as sunlight reflected his view of the nearby cityscape. Soon afterward, I began this portrait series, of which four images are shown here, in my hometown of Vence, near Nice, France.
I photographed residents in moments of daily life while looking through glass, and I added further perspective with interviews. It was a challenge to create such multilayered narrative portraits, especially as I was determined to avoid digital retouching. The area before the glass had to be in deep shadow for the reflected scene to be visible. The reflected scene, in turn, had to be extremely bright. My subjects had to hold the glass in a precise position while excluding me, the camera, and my assistant holding the softbox flash that provided supplementary light.
—Rebecca Marshall
Top left: “When I was little, I used to sit by the window at night and look at the moon for ages. I was born with an organ malformation and had eight operations before I was 6 years old. I’m still a bit of a dreamer ... outdoors, in the town’s open spaces, I feel free.” —Hugo, 16
Top right “The medieval town center is pretty. There are lots of shortcuts when you know your way around, but I don’t like coming here on my own. The streets are empty and dark, and I feel afraid. I’m learning judo. It’s good to be strong.”
—Mathilde, 11
Bottom left: “I lived the first 20 years of my life in this street, and I loved it. All the kids used to play together in the street, on bikes, on roller skates, while our grandparents sat around keeping an eye on us. At Eid and Easter, all our neighbors had big communal meals together.”
—Nadia, 42
Bottom right: “My identity as Mediterranean comes before my identity as French, and Vence is a Mediterranean town to me. I feel I have more in common with a Tunisian than a Parisian. We share the same chat, the same laughter, the same light.” —Anthony, 33
rebecca-marshall.com
@rebeccamarshallphoto
You may also be interested in...
.jpg?cx=0.5&cy=0.5&cw=480&ch=360)
Photo Captures Kuwaiti Port Market in the 1990s
History
Arts
After the war in 1991, Kuwait faced a demand for consumer goods. In response, a popular market sprang up, selling merchandise transported by traditional wooden ships. Eager to replace household items that had been looted, people flocked to the new market and found everything from flowerpots, kitchen items and electronics to furniture, dry goods and fresh produce.
How to Discover Egypt From the Inside Out
Arts
Rather than just telling travelers where to go, the guidebook Egypt: Inside Out by Trevor Naylor offers an inside-out perspective that evokes the experience of being there, inviting readers to embrace an almost meditative travel discipline of slowing down to take in the details and complexities of Egypt, moment by moment.
Saudi Photographer Captures Aswan's Nubian Heritage
Arts
As a Saudi photographer with a passion for cultural, human and heritage themes around the world, I strive to make my images windows to the past as well as reflections of the present. When I came across this guesthouse on a visit to Aswan, Egypt, I was taken back to 3000 BCE to ancient Nubia.